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Adam Ondra: More from Norway

posted by dpm on 07/11/2012

Still in Norway's Flatanger cave, and just one day after his onsight of Eye of Odin, Adam pulled off an onsight of Nordic Flower. Established by Jorg Verhoeven and given the grade of 9a (5.14d), the route was repeated by Magnus Midtbo who suggested 5.14c.

Regarding the grade, Ethan Pringle wrote in a blogpost: "Jorg originally graded the route 9a, but Magnus (Midtbo) claimed it felt more like 8c+ after his repeat, and Dani (Andrada) suggested an even further lowering of the grade after his time up the route and discovery of like ten more kneebars… oh Dani."

Adding to this impressive onsight is the fact that Ondra onsighted the route hanging all the draws. On his 8a scorecard, Adam commented: "I brought 30 quickdraws along for this 55 meters rig. I was so heavy at the beginning that it felt like a crux." He added that he "found almost no kneebars."

Also on his 8a scorecard, Adam offered some more details on the 5.15a he put up just two days ago. Called Thor's Hammer, the route links the first two pitches of a "multipitch monster project from Magnus Midtboe" into one massive 55 -meter pitch. He also notes that the grade could be 'easy 9b (5.15b)' but that it came together quickly and he found some better beta than Magnus.

Ondra also sent Norway's hardest boulder problem last week. The problem Blood Redemption was established by Magnus Midtbo almost two years ago on the Gjeddehenget boulder of Matre. Oddly, just one week after Adam's second ascent, video popped up online of Magnus on the "first ascent." From the video's description: " Magnus proposed the grade 8C (V15). Adam Ondra has repeated it, but with a different start and gave it a personal grade of 8B+ (V14)."

There seems to be some discrepancy about the start and the grade but the problem looks balls hard. Adam described it on his 8a scorecard as "four hard moves into a resistance finish." Adam climbed the problem in the pouring rain and the top out would have been wet without the help of some friends on the scene. Petr Pavlicek, who is traveling with and filming Adam, wrote on 8a; "Jei Mar built plastic roof over the exit from the cave and my friend Mirek was drying the end 30 min in a row with his towel... Honestly, it seemed so desperately impossible and wet, when we got to the cave, but never say never..."